Toughest game of the year

Published: Saturday, November 24, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, November 24, 2012 at 11:19 p.m.

You have to give the New Orleans Saints their props for a comeback that has led to a 5-5 record.

But now they face the toughest stretch of their season playing the San Francisco 49ers today, Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons, and then the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys.

Since coming back and getting a real beating against the Denver Broncos, interim head coach Joe Vitt has put his steady hand on the Saints and he has steered this team to a place in which they could well make a run for a playoff berth.

Give the veteran coach credit.

He has the experience of running a club before as an interim coach and he gave them a stabilizing force in the meeting rooms, weight room, practice areas, and on the field.

This is a veteran football team, that is used to having a heavy hand put on them when things aren’t going right and they needed Vitt’s strong persona to get them focused and more importantly doing the things that has won plenty of games over the last three seasons.

Drew Brees is an elite player and playing like an MVP again in 2012. What is making him even more successful is the fact that he now has a good running game that helps in controlling the tempo.

On defense this team will give up a lot of yardage, but now they are playing more aggressive. The defense has become playmakers in getting turnovers and they are winning the battle on critical third-down plays and squeezing teams in the red zone to settle for field goals instead of scoring touchdowns.

The Saints won’t use this term under Steve Spagnuolo, but they have become more “Gregg Williams-like” than the read and react defense implemented by Spagnuolo early on.

Under Williams,the defense took chances because they had to. They couldn’t get consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks with just a four-man front.

We are now seeing Spagnuolo do similar things realizing he doesn’t have the talent he had in New York with Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora.

Instead he has Will Smith, Brodrick Bunkley, Cameron Jordan, who is a young talented player, Sedrick Ellis, and a promising player in Akiem Hicks, who I believe will become the Saints version of Jimmy Graham on defense. He is that talented once he gets more experience and better technical skillwork.

Today the Saints face their toughest foe to date in the San Francisco 49ers. Jim Harbaugh is less than two years has shown he has the coaching ability to get his team focused from week to week.

The 49ers play great rush defense and they have acquired talent on the offensive side of the ball.

But what Harbaugh gets out of his quarterbacks will be the story today. In Brees you know you are facing one of the best and someone capable of lighting up any defense when protected well and that will be something to watch today.

But what happens to the development of quarterback Colin Kaepernick down the stretch will have a major influence on just how far the 49ers can advance come playoff time.

Kaepernick was outstanding Monday night against the Chicago Bears and he certainly has the arm, pocket presence, running skills and smarts to eventually be a very good starting quarterback in the NFL.

Kaepernick lacks experience at the most critical spot on the team and veteran defenses like what the Saints have could well confuse the young quarterback.

The 49ers like to set up their passing attack with a strong rushing attack led by Frank Gore and they have become very comfortable using the short pass and they have one of the best tight ends in the business in Vernon Davis and an emerging receiving playmaker in Michael Crabtree.

Crabtree, like Kaepernick, is the key for the 49ers. He has become a good short to medium-range target, with sure hands, an outstanding route runner and a good downfield blocker.

Many thought Crabtree would be a “Diva” coming into the NFL, but he has become a blue-collar worker over the last year and a half than Christina Aguilera.

Expect the today’s game to be physical, hard fought and again a close finish for who will win the contest.

The 49ers will be motivated, no matter what they say publically, by the comments made by former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams about taking San Francisco players out before last year’s playoff game.

It will be edgy and it will be hard fought and as usual it always seems to mean something when the 49ers play the Saints.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the 49ers and Saints squared off twice a year and normally it was the 49ers who won.

Former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert said it best this week, “The 49ers were always a little better than us. We were a good team, but hardly ever the best in our own division because of San Francisco. What I see now is that the Saints have what the 49ers had back then offensively and the 49ers have a lot like what the Saints had on defense. All I know is that it took until Thursday for us to recover from those games against San Francisco. That can’t happen this week because the Saints play Thursday against Atlanta. This game will not be for the faint hearted.”

You’re right Bobby, today and what happens in Atlanta will shape the the Saints’ course on making a leigitimate playoff run.

RUNNING TO SUCCESS

The Saints have had a real commitment to the running game that was not there early on this season.

Against the Philadelphia Eagles the Saints threw the ball 27 times and rushed the ball 25 times for 140 yards.

Against the Atlanta Falcons the Saints threw the ball 32 times and rushed the ball 29 times for 148 yards.

Last week against the Oakland Raiders the Saints threw the ball 28 times and they rushed the ball 28 times for 153 yards.

They have improved their record to 33-2 since Sean Payton took over the team in 2006 when they rushed for 120 yards or more in a game.

It won’t be easy to rush the ball against a stout San Francisco 49ers defense that is considered one of the elite front-seven units in the league, but for the Saints they need to set up the run by throwing the ball early short to the two big targets they have in Marques Colston and Graham.

The Saints have to get the linebacker unit of Ahmad Brooks, Patrick Willis, Aldon Smith and NaVorro Bowman, who are the best linebacking group in the NFL, off the line of scrimmage and forced to drop back into coverage spots instead of crowding the line of scrimmage.

Last year in the playoff game against the 49ers, Colston caught nine passes for 136 yards and a score and Graham caught five passes for 103 yards and two scores.

Another factor is having Darren Sproles back into the lineup. In the 36-32 loss to the 49ers, Sproles caught 15 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown.

COVERING DAVIS

The other factor is how the Saints matchup against Davis. Davis caught seven passes for 180 yards and two scores in the 49ers playoff win against New Orleans.

Over the last two weeks, the Saints have had difficult moments matching up against opposing tight ends.

Oakland Raiders tight end Brandon Myers caught six passes for 55 yards and one touchdown and he had an easy potential touchdown catch that bounced off his hands and was intercepted by Roman Harper.

The week before against Atlanta Tony Gonzalez caught 11 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

The Saints defense just can’t let Davis take over this game like he did late in last season’s playoff game.

DRAFT NOTES

Florida State defensive end/outside linebacker Brandon Jenkins announced earlier this week that he will declare early for the 2013 NFL draft. The 6-foot 3-inch, 255 pounder played in 40 games throughout his college career and he recorded 37 1/2 tackles for losses and 22 1/2 quarterback sacks at Florida State. In 2012, Jenkins sustained a LisFranc foot injury which kept him out of all but one game.

The speedy edge pass rusher recorded three tackles, a tackle for a loss and a quarterback sack in 2012.

With pass rushers at either defensive end or outside linebacker a premium, don’t be surprised to see Jenkins get selected late in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.

I mentioned a few weeks back about the progress and potential of Southeastern Louisiana cornerback Robert Alford.

This week Alford got an invitation to the 2013 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

Alford, who’s older brother Fred Booker played cornerback for LSU, recorded 39 tackles, five tackles for losses, eight pass break-ups and four pass interceptions this season.

The first team All-Southland Conference cornerback, also averaged 14.1 yards per punt return and he brought one punt back 74 yards against Lamar for a score.

The 5-11, 185 Alford, who hails from Hammond High School, is the first Southeastern Louisiana player invited to the Senior Bowl since linebacker Ronnie Hornsby played in the 1971 game.

I have Alford projected as a fourth or early fifth round choice in the 2013 NFL draft.

<p>You have to give the New Orleans Saints their props for a comeback that has led to a 5-5 record. </p><p>But now they face the toughest stretch of their season playing the San Francisco 49ers today, Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons, and then the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys.</p><p>Since coming back and getting a real beating against the Denver Broncos, interim head coach Joe Vitt has put his steady hand on the Saints and he has steered this team to a place in which they could well make a run for a playoff berth.</p><p>Give the veteran coach credit. </p><p>He has the experience of running a club before as an interim coach and he gave them a stabilizing force in the meeting rooms, weight room, practice areas, and on the field.</p><p>This is a veteran football team, that is used to having a heavy hand put on them when things aren't going right and they needed Vitt's strong persona to get them focused and more importantly doing the things that has won plenty of games over the last three seasons.</p><p>Drew Brees is an elite player and playing like an MVP again in 2012. What is making him even more successful is the fact that he now has a good running game that helps in controlling the tempo.</p><p>On defense this team will give up a lot of yardage, but now they are playing more aggressive. The defense has become playmakers in getting turnovers and they are winning the battle on critical third-down plays and squeezing teams in the red zone to settle for field goals instead of scoring touchdowns.</p><p>The Saints won't use this term under Steve Spagnuolo, but they have become more “Gregg Williams-like” than the read and react defense implemented by Spagnuolo early on.</p><p>Under Williams,the defense took chances because they had to. They couldn't get consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks with just a four-man front. </p><p>We are now seeing Spagnuolo do similar things realizing he doesn't have the talent he had in New York with Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora.</p><p>Instead he has Will Smith, Brodrick Bunkley, Cameron Jordan, who is a young talented player, Sedrick Ellis, and a promising player in Akiem Hicks, who I believe will become the Saints version of Jimmy Graham on defense. He is that talented once he gets more experience and better technical skillwork.</p><p>Today the Saints face their toughest foe to date in the San Francisco 49ers. Jim Harbaugh is less than two years has shown he has the coaching ability to get his team focused from week to week. </p><p>The 49ers play great rush defense and they have acquired talent on the offensive side of the ball.</p><p>But what Harbaugh gets out of his quarterbacks will be the story today. In Brees you know you are facing one of the best and someone capable of lighting up any defense when protected well and that will be something to watch today. </p><p>But what happens to the development of quarterback Colin Kaepernick down the stretch will have a major influence on just how far the 49ers can advance come playoff time.</p><p>Kaepernick was outstanding Monday night against the Chicago Bears and he certainly has the arm, pocket presence, running skills and smarts to eventually be a very good starting quarterback in the NFL. </p><p>Kaepernick lacks experience at the most critical spot on the team and veteran defenses like what the Saints have could well confuse the young quarterback.</p><p>The 49ers like to set up their passing attack with a strong rushing attack led by Frank Gore and they have become very comfortable using the short pass and they have one of the best tight ends in the business in Vernon Davis and an emerging receiving playmaker in Michael Crabtree.</p><p>Crabtree, like Kaepernick, is the key for the 49ers. He has become a good short to medium-range target, with sure hands, an outstanding route runner and a good downfield blocker.</p><p>Many thought Crabtree would be a “Diva” coming into the NFL, but he has become a blue-collar worker over the last year and a half than Christina Aguilera.</p><p>Expect the today's game to be physical, hard fought and again a close finish for who will win the contest. </p><p>The 49ers will be motivated, no matter what they say publically, by the comments made by former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams about taking San Francisco players out before last year's playoff game. </p><p>It will be edgy and it will be hard fought and as usual it always seems to mean something when the 49ers play the Saints.</p><p>In the late 1980's and early 1990's the 49ers and Saints squared off twice a year and normally it was the 49ers who won.</p><p>Former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert said it best this week, “The 49ers were always a little better than us. We were a good team, but hardly ever the best in our own division because of San Francisco. What I see now is that the Saints have what the 49ers had back then offensively and the 49ers have a lot like what the Saints had on defense. All I know is that it took until Thursday for us to recover from those games against San Francisco. That can't happen this week because the Saints play Thursday against Atlanta. This game will not be for the faint hearted.”</p><p>You're right Bobby, today and what happens in Atlanta will shape the the Saints' course on making a leigitimate playoff run.</p><p> </p><p>RUNNING TO SUCCESS</p><p>The Saints have had a real commitment to the running game that was not there early on this season. </p><p>Against the Philadelphia Eagles the Saints threw the ball 27 times and rushed the ball 25 times for 140 yards.</p><p>Against the Atlanta Falcons the Saints threw the ball 32 times and rushed the ball 29 times for 148 yards.</p><p>Last week against the Oakland Raiders the Saints threw the ball 28 times and they rushed the ball 28 times for 153 yards.</p><p>They have improved their record to 33-2 since Sean Payton took over the team in 2006 when they rushed for 120 yards or more in a game.</p><p>It won't be easy to rush the ball against a stout San Francisco 49ers defense that is considered one of the elite front-seven units in the league, but for the Saints they need to set up the run by throwing the ball early short to the two big targets they have in Marques Colston and Graham.</p><p>The Saints have to get the linebacker unit of Ahmad Brooks, Patrick Willis, Aldon Smith and NaVorro Bowman, who are the best linebacking group in the NFL, off the line of scrimmage and forced to drop back into coverage spots instead of crowding the line of scrimmage.</p><p>Last year in the playoff game against the 49ers, Colston caught nine passes for 136 yards and a score and Graham caught five passes for 103 yards and two scores.</p><p>Another factor is having Darren Sproles back into the lineup. In the 36-32 loss to the 49ers, Sproles caught 15 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown.</p><p>COVERING DAVIS </p><p>The other factor is how the Saints matchup against Davis. Davis caught seven passes for 180 yards and two scores in the 49ers playoff win against New Orleans. </p><p>Over the last two weeks, the Saints have had difficult moments matching up against opposing tight ends.</p><p>Oakland Raiders tight end Brandon Myers caught six passes for 55 yards and one touchdown and he had an easy potential touchdown catch that bounced off his hands and was intercepted by Roman Harper.</p><p>The week before against Atlanta Tony Gonzalez caught 11 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns.</p><p>The Saints defense just can't let Davis take over this game like he did late in last season's playoff game.</p><p> </p><p>DRAFT NOTES</p><p>Florida State defensive end/outside linebacker Brandon Jenkins announced earlier this week that he will declare early for the 2013 NFL draft. The 6-foot 3-inch, 255 pounder played in 40 games throughout his college career and he recorded 37 1/2 tackles for losses and 22 1/2 quarterback sacks at Florida State. In 2012, Jenkins sustained a LisFranc foot injury which kept him out of all but one game.</p><p>The speedy edge pass rusher recorded three tackles, a tackle for a loss and a quarterback sack in 2012.</p><p>With pass rushers at either defensive end or outside linebacker a premium, don't be surprised to see Jenkins get selected late in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.</p><p>I mentioned a few weeks back about the progress and potential of Southeastern Louisiana cornerback Robert Alford. </p><p>This week Alford got an invitation to the 2013 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.</p><p>Alford, who's older brother Fred Booker played cornerback for LSU, recorded 39 tackles, five tackles for losses, eight pass break-ups and four pass interceptions this season.</p><p>The first team All-Southland Conference cornerback, also averaged 14.1 yards per punt return and he brought one punt back 74 yards against Lamar for a score.</p><p>The 5-11, 185 Alford, who hails from Hammond High School, is the first Southeastern Louisiana player invited to the Senior Bowl since linebacker Ronnie Hornsby played in the 1971 game. </p><p>I have Alford projected as a fourth or early fifth round choice in the 2013 NFL draft.</p><p>NFL analyst Mike Detillier lives in Raceland.</p>